Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-16

fully opposed the Russian arms, pillag-
ing the country of the Volga, and even
threatening Moscow. This final struggle
for Cossack Independence ended in the
wear of the declaration of American in.
dependence. The Russians effectually
suppressed the rebellion. captured and
executed the leader Pugatcheff, and
changed the name of the river and pro.
vince from Yak to Ural, the latter pun.
ishment, simple as it may seem, having
certain refinement OF cruelty in the
appreciation of the semi Oriental Cos.
sacks. Since this famous revolt ended
the Cossacks have been peaceful subjects
Of the Gar, always reserving certain
traditional rights and privileges for
themselves, which makes them still in q
large degree independent of Russian
rule. 1t has never been possible to
prevent their foraging across the from
tier, any more than on our own borders
have we found it hitherto in our
power to put an end to the promiscuous
acts of barbarity which have always
postponed perfect peace in the United
States to the time when the extermina.
tion of the Indians shall have removed
the Temptations which frontiersmen are
unable to Withstand.
Ia the course of the centuries of COM
parative freedom which the Cossacks
have enjoyed, they have not preserved
the purity of their race, although they
are much more Russian than anything
else. 1t has been common custom for
the young men stationed in remote posts
to marry the Asiatic girls whom they
have captured as prisoners of war, or
bartered for in the Oriental manner.
This practice of promiscuous marriage
has, of course, been no incOnsiderable
element in the preservation of their
practical isolation from the rest of
Russia. Then, too, besides the mixture
of blood, no trifiing proportion of them
has been admitted to the body from the
Asiatic tribes, chiefly from the Circas-
SLAMS, who have, as a condition OF their
admission. adopted the customs of the
Cossacks, and have sworn allegiance 20
the Gear. Possessing, then, character.
istics of both Slav and Asiatic, the
great body of Cossacks stands. as it
were, on neutral ground between
European and Asiatic civilization.
Their allegiance to a Russian govern
ment does not place them in the posi-
tion of the ordinary Russian citizen. In.
stead of taxes and contributions, they
pay the Government in military service,
giving a certain amount of men, enlisted
for certain length of service, in pay
ment for tha lands on which they squat
along the rivers. Their chief officers
are appointed by the government, and
their Ataman, or General of all the Co.'S
sacks, is always q Grand Duke. They
have settled along the rivers both be-
cause, in most cases, these mark the
frontier lines, and also because the best
lands lie along the water.courses. The
great mass of the Cossaeks is divided
into numerous lesser bodies, each called
from the name of the river near which
it is located. The Ural, the Don. the
Volga, the Terek, the Kurban, and sew
eral other rivers have all given their
names to communities or provinces of
Cossacks, most of which are famous in
Russian history. The Don Cossacks are
the most heard OF because they are the
most numerous. The Urals are the
richest, and the Kurbans the most war.
like. Both the Terek and the Kurban
Cossacks, are largely composed of pure
blood Circassians, speaking their native
language, wearing their native dress,
cultivating the Mahammedan religion,
and protesting to be Russians only in
their allegiance to the Czar.-[Harper's
Magazine.